Karen Carpenter: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Videos
• Photos
• Groups/Boards
• Fan Sites

• Richard Carpenter
• The Carpenters
• Lauren Wood
• Captain & Tennille
• Christopher Cross
• Barry Manilow

• Mary Lou Lord
• Denise Rosier
• Shelley Laine
• Elika
• Linda Arnold
• Audra Kubat
• A Girl Called Eddy

• The Carpenters

• Joe Osborne
• Ray Gerhardt
• Bob Messenger
• Tony Peluso
• Roger Young
• Earl Dumler
• Ron Tutt

Born:

Mar 2, 1950 in New Haven, CT

Died:

Feb 4, 1983 in Downey, CA

Genres:

Classical Music, Pop Music, Rock Music, Adult Contemporary Rock Music

Decades Active:

1970's|1980's

Karen Carpenter was the lead singer for the softrock duo the Carpenters, who scored a string of Top 10 hits in the early '70s, including "(They Long to Be) Close to You," "We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days and Mondays," and "Yesterday Once More." Carpenter recorded one solo album in the late '70s, yet it was unreleased at the time. Following the recording of the record, she returned to the Carpenters, and they had one final Top 40 hit "Touch Me When We're Dancing" in 1981 before she tragically died of heart failure, brought on by anorexia nervosa, in February of 1983. Her unreleased solo album, titled Karen Carpenter, was finally released in the fall of 1996.

- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide